The present invention is a radiant energy collection unit that can be used in a solar panel heating system to heat a swimming pool or a similar body of water. The collection unit includes panels that resemble sheet metal roofing panels, and can be mounted on a house, building or garage positioned in close proximity to the pool.
Solar panel heating systems have been used to convert solar energy to thermal energy since the 1940""s. Typically, such panels have a relatively flat, dark-colored panel for absorbing the sun""s radiant energy and converting it to thermal energy, and a recirculating flow system through which a heat-transfer fluid flows. The flow system consists of a reservoir, an inlet pipe, a plurality of heat-transfer tubes, and an outlet pipe. The fluid is transferred from the reservoir into the inlet pipe. The inlet pipe is in fluid communication with the heat-transfer tubes that are mounted relative to the dark-colored panel such that heat can be transferred from the panel to the fluid flowing though the tubes. The heated fluid flows from the tubes into the outlet pipe and back to the reservoir. The system may further include a pump to force the fluid through the pipes and tubes of the flow system. As is known in the art, various heat transfer devices may be included in the flow system between the heat-transfer tubes and the reservoir to utilize the converted radiant energy, or the energy may be allowed to dissipate to the surrounding environment. The materials of construction can affect the performance of the solar panels. For example, plastic solar panels are less efficient than metal panels for heat transfer because of the low conductivity of the plastic.
Although the use of solar panels for delivering large-scale heating may be limited, solar panels are generally viewed as efficient heating devices for swimming pools and outdoor spas. Water is an excellent heat-transfer fluid and retains heat transferred to it for an extended period of time. The pool or spa is available to serve as the reservoir, and there is usually a pump and water recirculating system associated with the pool to filter the pool water. However, most systems which have been designed to date either require expensive materials, such as copper tubing or copper coated panels, or are inconvenient to use because the systems must be spread over large sections of the user""s yard to access the solar energy.
The present invention is a radiant energy collection unit that can be used in a solar panel heating system to heat a swimming pool or a similar body of water. The energy collection unit comprises a pair of sheet metal roofing panels secured together and adapted to receive water from a feeder. The collection unit can be included as part of a solar panel heating system that further includes a swimming pool reservoir, an inlet piping system which has an in-line pump for transferring water from the reservoir to the collecting panel unit, and an outlet piping system. Because of its physical appearance and materials of construction, the energy collection unit can be mounted on a roof of a house, garage, shed or similar building positioned in relatively close proximity to the pool.